The plan by the Guyana Government to hire nurses from Cuba to fill the gap left by Guyanese nurses who are taking up better paying jobs overseas, is not sitting well with the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton.

On Sunday, the Opposition Leader roasted the Government over its plan. He said the solution to the problem is not importation of foreign health workers, but rather better pay for locals.

“You now telling us, you are going to bring nurses from overseas. The damn fools must know if they pay the nurses better, they will stay here and we are saying to you, that, as a political party, we believe our workers must be properly treated,” the Opposition Leader said.

Earlier this year, the Government adjusted the salaries of various categories of healthcare workers, but that has not stopped local nurses from leaving.

Mr Norton said as Guyanese continue to struggle to survive in an oil rich country with the fastest growing economy per capita, the Government has been pouring billions of dollars into infrastructural development, while ignoring its human resources.

“We need to be training our people, so that they can operate in the existing hospitals, and improve the quality of healthcare in those hospitals. There is little or no sense having 10 more speciality hospitals and when you go in it there is no specialist,” Norton reasoned.

In addition to Cuba, the Government is also looking to Canada to train nurses here and offer accredited programmes.

Related posts:

Government to employ nurses from Cuba as Guyanese nurses migrate in droves GPSU renews calls for better salaries and working conditions for nurses Norton calls for measures in 2022 Budget to see better salaries and ease in cost of living Georgetown Healthcare workers threaten more protests and strike over working conditions and risk allowance